The Super Bowl delivers more than a championship. It sparks a massive wave of consumer activity in motion. As kickoff approaches, spending patterns snap into place, reflecting the rituals that define game day for millions of households.

Across the last three seasons (2023-2025), Super Bowl-related spending has surged in early February and held steady through Super Bowl Sunday, with notable spending growth in TV (33%), grocery (9%) and team merchandise (300%-1,200% at different peak moments) categories.

TVs: Bigger is better to watch the big game.

For fans who won’t be in the stadium on Super Bowl Sunday, levelling-up the at-home experiences brings them as close to the field as possible.

That’s why the biggest screens dominate Super Bowl season shopping. TV sales surge around the game, led by 70-inch-and-larger sets, which post an average sales life of 59% from 1 Feb. through Super Bowl Sunday over the last three years - up +42% for Super Bowl LVII (2023), +76% for Super Bowl LVIII (2024) and +62% for Super Bowl LIX (2025).

The excitement hits its peak right before the big day. On Super Bowl eve last year (Saturday, 8 Feb.), online TV sales jumped 45% overall and nearly doubled for 70-inch-plus screens which saw an 88% jump in sales. This year is expected to follow a similar playbook, with TV sales climbing about 30% above average daily levels in January as fans look to lock in the ultimate game-day view.

Grocery: Chicken wings fly off the shelves.

Coincidence or not, the Eagles’ championship win last year coincided with a 179% surge in chicken wing sales over Super Bowl weekend, the biggest jump across the grocery category.

However, the real rush came before kickoff. Super Bowl eve proved to be the biggest grocery shopping day in the nine days preceding the game — including Super Bowl Sunday itself — with total grocery spending up +25% above the average Saturday in January. In addition to wings, other popular products enjoyed significant sales boosts including chips and dips (+90%), soft drinks (+81%), ranch and blue cheese dressings (+67%) and condiments (+31%).

This year, we anticipate a similar grocery boost to unfold, with overall grocery spending up about 10% compared to prior years. Fans are gearing up on the essentials with sugar and sweets (+45%), soft drinks (+45%) and classic Super Bowl staples like chips, salsa and wings, all expected to rise around 40% as kitchens and snack tables get game-day ready.

Team merchandise: Team rings inspire fan fits.

Across major team sports, nothing sparks merch demand quite like a playoff win - and the NFL proves it year after year. AFC and NFC champions typically see online merch sales jump between 800% and 1,200% on the day of and the day after their victory - compared to the average sales in the first two weeks of January. This year’s NFC and AFC champions, the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, were no exception, posting a combined 850% surge following their respective victories.

Once the final whistle blows on Super Bowl Sunday, the celebration continues with even more fanfare. Over the past three years, a Super Bowl win has driven the second‑largest spike in online team merch spending, with champions seeing sales climb 300% to 500% above early‑January norms. Whoever hoists the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LX (2026) is expected to see a similar post‑win rush as fans lock in keepsakes from a championship season.

Game day goes digital as marketing channels score retail revenue gains.

As Super Bowl hype builds, the competition doesn’t stop at the goal line. Digital channels have become key players in how fans shop, whether they’re locking down party essentials or perfecting their game-day look. On Super Bowl Sunday last year, affiliates and partners captured 18.9% of total retail revenue, an 8.7% lift over the January 2025 average and the strongest performance this channel has recorded to date. This year, affiliates are expected to raise the bar again, with revenue share projected to reach 22.1%, a 16.9% increase from just a year ago.

Social channels may post more modest gains, but they continue to punch above their weight as anticipation for the big game builds. Last year, 2025 social revenue was at 4% and is projected to capture even greater revenue share to 4.6% for the 2026 Super Bowl. That’s a 15.9% increase year-over-year.

This momentum is expected to show up in social-driven traffic, too. On Super Bowl Sunday, visit share is expected to rise year-over-year across major social platforms led by TikTok (+40.1%) and YouTube (+25.7%), with more moderate gains on Instagram (+5.0%).

AI-driven discovery is the Super Bowl’s rising star.

As we highlighted in our 2025 Holiday Shopping Recap, AI-driven retail traffic surged nearly 700% year-over-year during the holiday season, momentum that appears to have carried forward into Super Bowl weekend. In the week leading up to game day, AI referral visit share is expected to jump 471.5% year-over-year, signalling heightened product discovery, comparison and last-minute research as fans finalise game-day plans.

On Super Bowl Sunday itself, AI referrals are projected to be 444.1% higher than last year and 176.6% above a typical Sunday, a modest but measurable event-driven uplift that underscores a broader shift in how attention is captured at moments of peak demand. As discover moves beyond traditional search into AI-mediated experiences, brands that provide clear, credible and easily surfaced answers are better positioned to earn trust and remain top of mind. Especially during high-stakes cultural moments when competition for consideration is at its highest.

Find out why the world's most iconic brands choose Adobe to help them to combine the powers of creativity, marketing and AI for to drive real business impact here.

Vivek is the director of Adobe Digital Insights who has worked with some of the largest CPG & Technology organisations, in the world, to drive key digital marketing & data science initiatives. As the Director for Adobe Digital Insights (ADI), he launched & spearheads the popular Adobe DEI (Digital Economy Index) & Holiday Retail reports, as well as other industry reports that profile emerging technology, creativity and travel trends.

https://business.adobe.com/fragments/resources/cards/thank-you-collections/digital-insights